Assertion: The total absolute measured electrical conductivity of an aqueous surfactant solution dro — Surface Chemistry Chemistry Question
Question
Assertion: The total absolute measured electrical conductivity of an aqueous surfactant solution drops incredibly sharply the instant the concentration crosses precisely above the CMC. Reason: The massive surfactant molecules undergo immediate spontaneous chemical degradation above the CMC, entirely destroying all ionic charges.
💡 Solution & Explanation
The Assertion is strictly true: when the concentration crosses the CMC, independent mobile ions aggregate into massive, bulky, highly hindered micelles, massively lowering their ionic mobility and therefore dropping bulk conductivity. The Reason is completely false: the molecules do not chemically degrade or decompose; they simply physically aggregate (associate) via their hydrophobic tails.